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'Anderson did not know anything about the sponsor, and given that the logo is a bikini-clad woman, it’s safe to say this wasn’t an endorsement,' a rep for Anderson told the page.

He partied with his boyfriend, nightclub owner Ben Maisani, with whom he lives with in New York, and Andy Cohen, the openly-gay host of Watch What Happens Live.

Vacation: Fans uploaded images of themselves with Cooper as he visited Rio de Janeiro at the weekend

Fan: Twitter was ablaze on Saturday night with news that he was watching the Champions Parade

Trip: He was also joined by his boyfriend Ben Maisani on the trip. They are pictured together last year

The star has been candid with family and friends about his sexuality since high school, but did not comment publicly on it until last summer, via an email he sent to a journalist friend at The Daily Beast.

'The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn't be more happy,' he wrote.

The Carnival is often cited as one of
the best parties in the world - with an explosion of music and colour,
hoards of scantily clad beauty queens and gyrating samba dancers.

At the event, which was held last
week, thousands of participants clad in elaborate costumes made their
way to Rio's 72,500-seat open-air Sambodrome.

'Best party in the world': A reveler of Beija-Flor samba school performs during the Carnival in Rio

Show: Cooper told reporters that he would not take part in the parade as his 'business was watching'

The competition, which is between 12
elite samba groups, dazzles more than a billion spectators across the
world but it takes nearly a year and hundreds of workers to pull it off.

Cooper enjoyed some relaxation time days at the post-Carnival party after network sources revealed Cooper's 10pm show is set to be slashed by CNN chief Jeff Zucker to make room for a big new hire.

The TV favourite, 45, hosts Anderson Cooper 360° at 8pm every weekday and the show is repeated at 10pm, with Brit Piers Morgan sandwiched in between.

However, as part of a huge raft of changes at the network, Zucker plans to axe the 10pm segment, paving the way for a new star to anchor another show.